Menifee, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

040 amends the California Building Code's permit section to bar construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, or occupancy change of any building or structure, and bars installing, connecting, enlarging, altering, repairing, removing, converting, or replacing any electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system, without a separate valid permit from the Building Official for each building, structure, or system. 020 sets the financial consequence for skipping that step: anyone who starts work on a building, structure, or electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system before obtaining the required permit is charged a penalty fee equal to twice the normal permit fee, on top of the permit fee itself.

Permit fees themselves are set by City Council resolution rather than fixed in the code. 060 it expires if work is not started within 12 months, and even after work begins it expires 180 days after the last successful inspection, with the Building Official able to grant extensions of up to 180 days at a time, though no permit can run longer than three years total from issuance. Permits issued specifically to legalize an already-built unpermitted structure expire faster, in 90 days, extendable once for another 90 days on written request. 050 exempts chain link, wood, or similar fences up to seven feet and masonry block walls under three feet from the permit requirement.